Story
You are here at last. Welcome. It's about time. Welcome. Let's make contact and see what kind of charge we build. Feel free to wander. Or wonder. Meet you in the Feast Room, where real time dolphins may engage in real time conversation. If nothing else, carve your name on the table before departing. Fare Thee Well. Many thanks to all participants - will we meet again next year? For all those who enjoy a good Yarnup around the fire. # Passing the talking stick # Tales from Other Realms # Tales of Atlantis ~ Active Worlds revisited # Jester Jokes and the CurlChat Marathon # Using the Movable_Feast methodology - communication technology hopping There was a terrible drought. After a long deliberation, the villagers decided to approach Nasrudin, who was known to work miracles on occasion and ask for his intervention in bringing the rain. The whole community went over to Nasrudin's hut and the elders stated their request. "Sorry," said Nasrudin, "there will be no miracle - you have no faith". "But Nasrudin, how can you say that?" said the villagers, "after all, is it not our faith, that brought us to your door, begging for help?" "If you really had faith," said Nasrudin, "You would have come with umbrellas." *Nasrudin Native American Rock Wisdom I was asked by an elderly woman who was an immigrant, as a child, from Italy, to come spend the day with her and "explain" this Native religion. She wanted desperatly to understand, and no one could tell her. After hours of talk, she did not understand anymore than when I had started. I went outside, and picked up a rock that was laying in the road, in the sun. I brought it in to her and placed it into her cupped arthritic hands. She held it tight, and said in amazement- Its warm! where did you get this? is this a holy rock? (she did not know where I got it)- me being Native and all, and her not- I think she must have thought I got it out of my car or something... As she held the rock tightly inside her hands, she soaked in the warmth of the rock, for a time, then said it made her feel good. WHAT was this rock???? she said. I explained that the creator is in everything, living and inert. She asked if it was the creator in this rock that made her feel good. I replied - sort of. Then I said to her- that the rock was from her driveway, and that it had been in the sun. Everything absorbs the suns warmth and the sun is in everything. She looked at me as though I had tricked her and made her a fool for feeling what she did. I explained that the creator is like the sun- it is in everything- and the warmth and comfort she got from that rock- was- because she opened her mind- and the "medicine" flowed into her body and that is why it felt good.- I told her this was the best way that I could explain Native Religion to her,(I could see her beginning to understand.. (oh what thankfulness I felt) My words, no matter how I tried, did not make sense to her so I had to show her and let her feel it for herself. She began to cry, and said; you mean This religion is in the very rocks in my driveway???!! I smiled and said yes. It is everywhere. Then I explained inert things to her- the small rock- I asked her if she could imagine the beginings of this rock. She said, "well It probly started out a huge rock, and through the ages of change, came to be what it is now." I said If the rock had eyes and a mouth, oh what things it could tell you , of a thousand years, or more. But- I told her, the rock does not have to have eyes and a mouth to tell you. It is part of the great circle, and it is filled with the creator and his touch. Rock medicine- the rocks have spirit in them also. Many people look to the rock for medicine, to receive help and healing, and to place heavy burdens upon it. It is here for us, because it is strong, and it can handle all the pain and hurt in your heart. Even bitterness. And with prayer and offering, the rock will give you medicine(strength)- You can put all your burdens into this rock- it will accept it with gladness- if your heart is true- and- if you leave those burdens with the rock, and do not take them back to your heart. Traveling Musicians :a travelling fiddler came to the village square one day. :he played so sweet a tune, that whoever heard him felt :compelled to dance. soon all were dancing: old and young, :women, men, children and even toddlers. :then a deaf man came along. what he saw seemed to him :grotesque, ridiculous and in bad taste... An airplane carrying a symphony orchestra crashed in the desert. Miraculously only one man survived, almost unscathed. Carrying his violin out of habit, he started walking away from he crash site, looking for help... After a few hours, tired, he settled down to rest. A short while afterwards, a huge lion appeared and started approaching him menacingly, with obvious intentions. The fiddler was petrified from fear. There seemed no escape... then he remembered the tale of Orpheus pacifying wild beasts with his music, and decided to give it a try. He pulled the violin out, and started playing. Indeed, it worked! The lion stopped few feet from him, and lied down, apparently listening. The fiddler kept playing. Whenever he stopped, the lion would let out a menacing growl - so he kept on. After a while, another lion appeared. Then another, and another, and another.... They all seemed to enjoy his music, and lied down listening. After an hour or two, the fiddler lost his fear and started actually to enjoy the scene. There he was, surrounded by a herd of wild lions, which seemed lost in the contemplation of music, and (as long as he kept playing!) he was safe - for the time being... Then another, elder lion approached. The fiddler watched him approaching with no fear. But the lion kept coming closer, crossed the half-circle of lions surrounding him, and then with one leap pounded upon him and prepared to start devouring his dinner. "Hey! Why did you kill him! He was playing so nicely! You shouldn't have!" shouted all other lions in protest. The old lion turned with one paw next to his ear and said: "huh?" The Stories Continue This Too Shall Pass a king approached king solomon respectfully and said: "oh king, you are known as master ring maker, producing rings giving powers over jinn and men. but can you produce a ring endowed with such a power that one look at it will bring me back to my natural state when i'll forget myself in times of sorrow or in times of joy?" "sure!" replied solomon, and gave him a ring with the inscribed words "THIS TOO SHALL PASS". Wealth :When the sannaysi reached the outskirts of the village and settled under a :tree for the night, a villager came running up to him a shouted "the stone! :the stone! Give me the precious stone!" :"What stone?" asked the sannyasi. :"Last night Lord Shiva appeared in my dream that if I went to the outskirts :of the village a sannyasi who would have just come would give me a stone :which would forever make me rich." :The sannyasi rummaged his bag and pulling out a stone said," He probably :meant this one. I found it in the forest yesterday. Here it is yours if you :want it." :The man gazed at the stone in wonder. It was the largest diamond in the world. :All night the man tossed about in his bed. At dawn he ran to the sannyasi :and woke him and said, "Give me the wealth that makes it possible for you :to give away this stone." Even More Tales Links Other Peace Wiki pages that may be of interest: Stories Shamanism Nature Solitude Visual Haiku The Papalagi Nature Related Wikia: Green Knowledge